The timing of the meeting is significant. With national security agencies on high alert due to recent cross-border developments, there is a heightened risk of cyberattacks aimed at disrupting financial operations, leaking sensitive data or undermining public confidence.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), and heads of leading public and private sector banks are likely to participate. Representatives from key financial institutions and cybersecurity experts might also be present.
Experts have long warned that in modern warfare, cyberattacks can be used as a tool of economic destabilisation. With banking systems handling massive volumes of real-time transactions, even minor disruptions can have wide-reaching impacts.
The meeting may be expected to produce a fresh set of directives for financial institutions, including stress-testing of systems, rapid response drills, stronger coordination with national cybersecurity agencies, etc.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar discussed the ongoing developments with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. “India has been measured in its actions. However, any escalation will get a firm response,” the foreign minister said.
These calls come a day after the Indian Armed Forces launched “Operation Sindoor” in the early hours of May 7, 2025, to hit terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. This comes in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered.